Ukrainian forces have damaged a Russian frigate and several other warships in a night attack on the naval base in Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory on March 1-2. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), News.bg reports.
According to analysts, PK-10 jamming systems, the TK-25 electronic warfare system, as well as radar complexes for directing fire on the project 11356R-class frigate “Admiral Grigorovich“ – “Admiral Essen“ were affected. The ship's main surveillance radar, the "Fregat-M2M", was also likely damaged.
Sources from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told Ukrainian television channel "Suspilne" on March 4 that the drone attack also damaged a Russian minesweeper of project 266ME "Aquamarine" (NATO codename "Nastya"), as well as the anti-submarine corvettes of project 1124M "Albatross" (NATO codename "Grisha V") "Eisk" and "Kasimov". According to this data, three Russian sailors were killed and 14 were injured.
According to a source who allegedly has ties to Russian intelligence services, at least 200 Ukrainian drones took part in the operation.
The SBU also indicated that the strikes affected the guidance radar of the S-300 air defense system, the “Pantsir-S2“ complex and six of seven oil tankers at a terminal in the area. The Institute for the Study of War had already reported the attack in its report of March 2.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of escalating the conflict after an incident with the Russian tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean Sea. According to information from maritime security sources cited by “Reuters“, the Russian-flagged ship caught fire on March 3. One source claimed, without evidence, that a Ukrainian naval drone attack was the cause.
The Libyan Maritime Administration reported on March 4 that sudden explosions were heard on board the tanker, followed by a large fire. The ship, which was carrying about 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, subsequently sank approximately 240 kilometers off the coast of the Libyan city of Sirte.
The Russian Transport Ministry said that unmanned surface vehicles were launched from the Libyan coast and hit the tanker near Maltese territorial waters on March 3. Moscow stressed that the vessel had set sail from Murmansk with a legally registered cargo.
Russian officials accused Ukraine of “terrorist acts“ and of trying to use tensions in the Middle East to further escalate conflicts. They also warned of possible retaliation, including blocking sea routes to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 4 that French President Emmanuel Macron's March 2 statement on expanding France's nuclear arsenal was "highly destabilizing." She said NATO's efforts to strengthen nuclear deterrence were part of a broader trend of militarization under the guise of anti-Russian rhetoric.
Zakharova also criticized initiatives by Britain and France to cooperate on nuclear deterrence against Russia in the event of a potential conflict between NATO and Moscow. She also repeated an earlier claim by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service that London and Paris were trying to transfer a "dirty bomb" or nuclear systems to Ukraine, an accusation that Western countries categorically deny.